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Jul 29, 2008:
A Cape Town commercial project has met critical mid-year deadlines relating to the upgrading of the R310 highway, bulk infrastructure and the construction of the buildings themselves.
"We are very pleased to announce that the tender process has started in earnest, and that three important tenders have already been awarded," says Anant Singh, chairperson of Cape Town Film Studios.
The first tender to be announced was for the improvement of the R310, which was awarded to Martin & East (PTY) Ltd on 13 March. The second, placed with Imvusa Trading 1569 CC on 19 May, was for mass earthworks for phase one of the studios' construction, and the third was a closed tender for Piling which was awarded to Frankipile on 13 June.
The upgrading of the R310 highway is a requirement of the Traffic Impact Assessment and is earmarked for completion in December 2008. On the actual site in Faure, bush clearing was largely complete by March 2008 to prepare for the installation of major bulk infrastructure and civil works. The anticipated capital expenditure of the entire project is estimated to be in excess of R430m over the next seven years.
There are currently two further tenders that have closed: one for the construction of phase one of the studio buildings which closed on 26 June; and the other for the construction of civil engineering services, also for phase one, which closed on 9 July 2008. These tenders are anticipated to be awarded by the end of July 2008.
The start of tendering and construction marks an important milestone in the history of the Cape Town Film Studios. Plans are currently being finalised for four stages of varying sound and size specifications. In total there will be 7,050sq m of stages and an additional 10,000sq m productions offices, production support spaces and workshops, all set to be operational by early 2010.
The international film industry continues to be attracted to Western Cape to shoot features, television programmes and commercials with the film industry having grown substantially since 2006. Currently feature films are in production all year-round, while the commercial filming season generally takes place annually between September and April.
According to statistics released by the Cape Film Commission, production activities in Cape Town currently encompasses films, stills and commercial production and can be compared with cities such as Atlanta, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Miami and Rio de Janeiro
The film sector is considered a strategic sector for the Western Cape and for the continual growth of the city's economy. It generates billions of rand in foreign direct investment and media exposure. An economic impact assessment study commissioned by the Cape Film Commission calculates the film industry to have a direct turnover of more than R2,5bn per annum. This, in turn, is believed to have contributed an indirect annual turnover in excess of R3,5bn to national GDP through the multiplier effect.
The Cape Town Film Studios is, to date, the largest investment allocation to the country's film industry.
